Selenium-cell regulator.



M. MOSKOWITZ.

SELENIUM CELL REGULATOR.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE29| |910.

1, 1 50,953. Patented Aug. 24, 1915.

I nnwwlllllilflllmlI*- STATES PATENT OFFICE.

tonus xoslrow'rrz, or antw roman. Y., asaltaron, BY :man maremma,

a 'meer To allfwhom'it may; concern." `Be it knownthat I, Moluus Mosxowrrz, a

citizen of the United States, residln at- New York city, inthe county of New -ork 5 and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in- Selenium-Cell Regulators, of which the following is a full,

clear, concise, and exact description, ref-- -erence being had to the accompanying drawin forming a part of thisl specification. y invention relates to electric regulators and particularly to that type in which there is employed a light responsive resistance u nit such as a selenium cell or'cells for. co rating with other instrumentalities to mamtain constant voltage'on a circuit. A

My present invention is' an im rovement upon my copending application o. 567,612,

filed the 18th day of `June 1910, for Seleniv um cell regulator, and has lfor its object to provide a regulator which shall require lit-` tle or no attention or adjustment, and which shallhave improved' means for' controlling the light which falls on the selenimfcell or cells to vary its resistance. i

lecte'd, for the purpose of illustration, 4a car lighting system having a shunt wound a: erator 1, with, afield 2, and a storage ttery 3, lconnected .in circuit with'said gem' crater. g g

' A switch 4 is illustrated which may be-,of any suitable type such as anl automatic switch adapted to closethe circuit from the generator to the battery under predetermined-conditions. v.

The main /circuit extends from Athe generator and ,storage battery' through conductor 5,-a1ampfc1rcuit 6- -6, resistance; 7 and' conductor 8,1 back tothe battery and generator. When the generator is stationary o r running .at less than the lpredetermined speed, the lamp load is carried by the battery alone., however,'the" gener' ator speed rises above a certain point, the

lamp load.V Ias'much .as the generator voltage ,must rise above the counter E. M. F.

suitable means be employed to prevent." voltage from bemg imfon the lamp'cn-cult.- In the present struction.

In the accompanym drawingsfI have-,se-

normally in 'its owing to the action-of the spring 2;?

of the battery order to charge 'the same,

COIPANY Ol' YORK, A CORPORATION Ol'm YORK,

Lm-CELL REGULATOR.

l :reduction f retten latent- Patented Augri, 1915; appumion'maprtne as, 1910. sumnasu.

instance I employ a carbon v although I do not limit myselflto this -con-4 on the pile' ofi carbon disks The preure is varied by' the bell crank lever 9 pivoted at 10, actuated by plunger 11 .and controlled by solenoid 12, which solenoid is connected in a shuntcircuit in which is also ineluded the selenium cell or. cells `13; This circuit may be traced from the generator through conductor 14, selenium Vcell or cells 13, and solenoid 12, back to the main circuit conductor 8.

Another solenoid- 15 is connected acrossv the lam'p circuit 6 6, by means of c on-` aucuns 16 and 17. Atacama-light 1s is; arranged yadjacent te the selenium callerl cells. `Any light may be.employed,although I vprefer to use an electric light connected across, the lamp `circuit by conductors 19 and 20. In the construction illustrated,

there'is' shown an incandescent lamp adapted to burn below Anormal candle power, so that slight fluctuations in the voltageofthe circuit will produce corresponding iiuctua' tions inthe light emitted'. It should be observed that the regulating lamp 18 'and then? regulating solenoid I5 are both connected`j;- directly across the lamp `c1rcu1t 66, so as to respondto all iuctuations in said circuit.

The selenium cell or cells 13 are prefer ably i inclosed' in* a liglt, tight receptacle 21,l

having an'openin 22,thesizeof' which may be varied by a sli supporting at one end the slide 23 which is ablvsecured to a fixed support as at 28. I f course- I do: not linntmyself to the above details, as this particular arrangement e or shutter 23, controlled byv the .regulating coil 15 .'coperatmg ,wlthf p unger .24, lever 25 fulcrume'd at 26 and lowermo'st or closed position i adjusti for the purpose of illustration. It is obvious that a number of suitable de- "icesA may be employed, .for exam le, der' y vices similar to those used. as the diap gms of cameras.

The lamp 18'is preferably provided with a reflector 29,:'or other light concentrating device and is conveniently mounted 'opposite the opening 22 of the receptacle 21 so 'as to, direct the .rays oflight the be made very `sensitive and the so y of the lamp selenium cell or cells.

voltage will j produce jtremecase', the'light could opening cells 13.

The oeration of the regulator isas follows pon a slight increase of the voltage of the lamp circuit, the regulating. lamp 18 becomes lbri hter and thereby increases the amount of 'ght passing throu the opening 22, 'which at this time 1s becomin larger, as hereinafter described; wli'c lig t, falling on the selenium cell or cells 13, decreasesl their resistance and consequently the resistance of the shunt circuit in which they are connected. Simultaneously the energization of coil 15 is increased, whereby the plunger 24 is drawn down against the action of spring 27, which is normally adj so as to-.mainta'in the slide 23 in its lowermost or clod position, therely raising the slide 23 and increasing the e ective slzeof the opening 22.' Thel increase in the size of the opening 22 causes a still greater increase in the amount of light thrown on the selenium cell or cells and .thereby augments the decrease of resistance caused by the increased light of the 22 upon the selenium cell or It will be apparent that there' are two factors responsive to liuctuatons in the voltage circuit, namely the solenoid and the incan escent light 18. Under certain conditions of adjustment, each of these instrumentalities will contribute largely .to the variations inthe li t falling on the.

nder other conditions of adjustment, the lauicpl madel to burn at normal can e power, or nearly so, whereby sli ht fluctuations in y very little or'no correspondin variation in the'amount of light emitted,'the regulation depending al-4 lmost entirely on the solenoid 15 which controls the size of the openin 22. In an exentirely independent of the circuit and would not even need to be an electric light. Under other conditions of adjustment, the lamp 18 may enoid 15 les responsive to fluctuations in voltag', so that the variations in the amount of ght paing through the 22 will depend v Open-m8 more on the luctuations of the lamp 18 than on the variations in the size of theopening. It is further apparent that between these f es, a vimety of adjustments may be effected; In th`e resent mstancehowever, I desire to depen more on the variations in the size of the'opming'due to the solenoid and less on the fluctuations of the lamp 1 ,althoughI-donotlimitmyselftotlns adustmmt. A l

any tendency to an abnormal decreaseinthevoltaleofthelamp circuit, it is apparent that e reverse. o the above clplratrons will take creasing 18 may v controlled by said light responsive element I plalzlmthed, ht emitted by the p andthe light responsive said source 130 of um sin of um peeing 22, or its com ete closure, will increase sistance o the rethe selenium cell or cells to restore normal conditions.

.The increase or decrease inthe residence of the shunt circuit, including the selenium described in connection vwith a voltage lato'r for a lighting circuit, it is obvious the same elements could be used as a current regulator in connection with any desired circuit, and furthermore, the invention is' clearly capable of ulation is desired e the conditions of neral use wherever regding on a change xn e circuit being regulated. It will be further apparent thatin illustrated, an suit-- this particular system, able generator regulating means may emplo ed.

claim as new and desire to secure by lLetters Patent of the Umted States, is-

1. A regulator comprising a series of carbon disks normally under presume, a sole- -noid for reure on mid disks, a selenium ce or for controllin said solenoid, an opaque receptacle for sai c ell or cells having an therein, a h ht for va the resistance of Isaid se enium cell or ce andmeans for'varying the size of said opening.

wing described my invention, 'what I 2. A'lighting system a v -a source of electrical merg for lsuppl .said circuit, a plurali 'of parallel branches 1n said circuit, Aa vari le resistance between .said source and said branches, one of saidl branches includiirmlight' responsive ance element, m ml means for varyrng the amount of light on said light 've resistance, and means alsov in mid ranch,

for said variable resistance.

.3. hghl g lcomprising a main clrcurt, a regulating redstance therein, electro-magnetic controlling means therefor, and means for controlling 'd electronetic controlling. means, comprising a ligt 've resistance in circuit therewith, a source ofv light .therefor and means controlled by the. voltage ci the circuit for increasi or-d the amount of light suppli to mid light responsive re 4. In a re'glulating device, a variable-rea soenoid controllingsaid res'stance,'a htA 'ver'nanceincircuit with mi solenoid, a source of light there f or, and mechanical means between arid of light adapted to variably control the amount of light Jsupplied to said resistance,

thereby controlling the variable resistance.

5. A lighting system comprising zt light 'responsive resistance, means copereting therewith to control said lighting system proportionately to the value of said resistance, and means to control said resistance, comprising n source oflight, and mechanical means between said source and said resistance to vary through :L wide range the amount of light permitted to reach said resistance, said source of light Varying in aesystem under regulation.

6. In a lighting system, a, lighting circuit, a solenoid connected across said circuit, a source of light and a, shutter controlled by said solenoid and :idjustably Controlling the light from said' source, and means for regula-ting said circuit in response to the amount of light admitted by said shutter.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto sub-- scribed myname in the presence of two witnesses.

MORRIS MOSKOWITZ.

Witnesses:

JOHN WILLETT, RAY G. LONDON. 

